The present invention relates to the irradiation with high energy electrons of flowable material in a hollow body, the flowable material being in the form of granules, powders, or more or less viscous liquids.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,133,828 discloses a paint spraying device for automobile bodies in which the automobile bodies are on a conveyor belt and initially pass through a spray chamber and then a heating chamber. The paint sprayed onto the bodies is irradiated with electrons before the spraying process. For this purpose, a Van de Graaf generator is provided which includes an electrostatic transmission generator and an acceleration tube. The acceleration tube opens into a magnetic deflection system which is in mechanically fixed connection with a so-called scanning horn. The electrons exit through the exit window of the scanning horn and impinge on a tube which is flattened in the irradiation region and which mechanically connects a paint reservoir with the spray nozzles disposed in the spray chamber. The entire device results in the paint liquid being irradiated with electrons only very shortly before application to the automobile bodies while it flows through the flattened tube.
One drawback of this system is, however, that the irradiation device and the associated shielding require a relatively large amount of space.